DENVER, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncimmune® LLC , maker of EarlyCDT-Lung, a simple blood test that aids physicians in the risk assessment and early detection of lung cancer, today announced that four poster presentations during the American Thoracic Society's (ATS) International Conference May 13 - 18 in Denver will collectively highlight the diagnostic and economic benefits of EarlyCDT-Lung. Oncimmune's EarlyCDT-Lung test uses a panel of tumor antigens to detect the presence of immuno-biomarkers produced in the form of autoantibodies by the patient's immune system. Elevation of any one of the panel of immuno-biomarkers (autoantibodies) above a predetermined cut-off value suggests that a tumor might be present. These studies follow data presented at the American College of Chest Physicians in fourth quarter of last year.

The studies presented at the ATS meeting validate that EarlyCDT-Lung detects all types of lung cancers at all stages, including early stage disease. Previous studies have shown that immuno-biomarkers can be detected up to five years before tumors can be seen in routine diagnostic imaging procedures such as CT.

Abstracts reporting EarlyCDT-Lung's diagnostic and economic benefits of immuno-biomarkers in early detection of solid tumor lung cancers during the ATS meeting include:

The full abstracts can be accessed through the American Thoracic Society website and the Oncimmune web site following the ATS meeting. Oncimmune's exhibit booth #1140 opens to ATS conference attendees Sunday, May 15, 2011.

Following the ATS meeting, James Jett, M.D., a world-leading expert in lung cancer therapy from National Jewish Health, will present an EarlyCDT-Lung poster at the World Congress for Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Amsterdam in July. According to Jett, "The EarlyCDT-Lung test is a new technology with the potential to shift our ability to diagnose lung cancer earlier than is currently achieved. Preliminary data (auditing the use of the test in clinical practice) are promising and consistent with the case-controlled studies. These data indicate that EarlyCDT-Lung test can risk stratify normal versus malignant nodules."

Early immuno-biomarkers, in the form of autoantibodies, are produced in response to the presence of certain by-products from cancer cells (i.e., proteins called antigens). When the body recognizes something as "non-self" one of the ways it responds is for the immune system to produce large amounts of antibodies. The immune system does not normally produce antibodies against normal tissue antigens and therefore these immuno-biomarkers to cancer antigens provide high specificity for cancer. Tests that detect autoantibodies to a single tumor protein have been available for a number of years but have had low pickup rates (sensitivity). Previously, multiple antigen tests had low specificity, especially for early detection. Oncimmune'sEarlyCDT-Lung test has increased the sensitivity of the autoantibody test while maintaining a high level of specificity.

Oncimmune's EarlyCDT-Lung test uses a panel of tumor antigens to detect the presence of immuno-biomarkers produced in the form of autoantibodies by the patient's immune system. Elevation of any one of the immuno-biomarkers (autoantibodies) in the panel above a predetermined cutoff value suggests that a tumor might be present, even before lung cancer symptoms may appear. This simple blood test aids in risk assessment and the early detection of lung cancer in high-risk patient populations. The key advantage of the test is its ability to detect cancer earlier, and with higher specificity, than spiral-CT which is the standard diagnostic imaging test used for these patients today. EarlyCDT-Lung is priced below a CT scan and as a simple blood test, eliminates radiation exposure from imaging screening techniques. High-risk individuals such as long-term smokers and ex-smokers between the ages of 40 and 75 and individuals with other risk factors such as environmental exposures and extensive exposure to secondary smoke are candidates for the test. One of the smoking effects is a higher propensity for developing lung cancer, and patients who smoke or formally smoked should be examined closely. Further research to investigate the most beneficial clinical use of the test (i.e., as a first test leading to further testing for those positive, or as a test providing further information to those who already have a CT identified lung nodule) is currently being finalized. EarlyCDT-Lung is performed exclusively within Oncimmune's CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act) regulated laboratory in DeSoto, Kansas. Other tests for breast, ovarian, esophagogastric, colon and liver cancers are planned. For more information about Oncimmune's EarlyCDT-Lung visit: http://www.oncimmune.com.

About Oncimmune LLC

Oncimmune (USA) LLC, founded in 2006, is an industry leader in early cancer detection. The company is committed to advancing early cancer detection through proprietary immuno-biomarker technologies based on biological technology identified by John Robertson, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Nottingham University, England, and Chief Scientific Officer of Oncimmune LTD. Ongoing research and development is conducted by Oncimmune under the direction of Professor Robertson. The company's mission is to develop early cancer detection tests to identify more than 90% of solid-tumor cancers, which make up 70% of all cancers including lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, stomach, pancreatic and ovarian. All testing is performed exclusively at Oncimmune's CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act) regulated laboratory located in the metro Kansas City area. Oncimmune LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oncimmune LTD. Oncimmune LTD owns a portfolio of patents, including Patent Nos. 7,402,403 and 7,205,117, with five others currently filed and under review. For more information about Oncimmune, visit: http://www.oncimmune.com.